Mix your Spirits In Brighton’s Most Haunted Pubs

Following on from the Brighton Zombie Walk (Beach of the Dead). A charity event where Brighton Seafront looked like something out of Michel Jackson’s Thriller, with fun creative souls in costumes performing the walk of the un-dead. Brighton & Hove gets into the ‘spirit’ of Halloween with scary events across the city to get your spin tingling but what better way to spend Halloween than trying to scare yourself silly by visiting some of Brighton’s haunted pubs.

Brighton is one of the UK’s most haunted places in England with about 123 different paranormal activities recorded. (And that’s not even including my friend who says his house has a poltergeist and has photos of orbs… but he doesn’t want you all going round to his.) You might discover some new ghosts, but let’s face it, no one’s going to believe you after you’ve imbibed a unit or two of the liquid spirits. Here’s a list of some watering holes in the centre of Brighton who claim to have “special visitors”, plus there’s a few other suggestions for a night of spooky shenanigans.

1. The Druid’s Head

Situated in Market Street, The Druid’s Head claims to have two ghosts. A smuggler who died on the basement steps know as the Hooded Figure and a lady in red in the main bar. Why not put Chris de Burgh’s famous song on the juke box and see if you can tempt her out? The Druid’s Head is also the starting point for Brighton’s Ghost Walks - A ghost walk around the Lanes starts from here at 7.30pm too. It’s led by a spooky looking man in a cloak and a tall hat. It costs £8 and lasts just over an hour.

2. The Black Lion

This pub in Black Lion Street is haunted by the ghost of Deyck Carver. Carver is believed to have been the first brewer in Brighton and was burnt at the stake in. It seems that Deyck just can’t leave the pub trade!

3. The Cricketers Inn

Next door to the Black Lion is the Cricketers where there are claims of poltergeist activities. Customers and staff have reported slamming doors, glasses falling off shelves and footsteps - Spooky stuff! It’s also where Jack the Ripper suspect, Robert Stephenson stayed before moving to Whitechapel. Not only that there have been sightings of a pale man in a long black cloak in the pub and there’s a grey nun who haunts the Lanes who has been seen outside too.

4. The Fish Bowl

In East Street, there have been many sightings in this bar of a shadowy figure of a twenty-something woman who is said to brush past people and may haunt the cellar. That’s possibly not quite the lock-in she had in mind…

5. The Font

What better place to see a phantom than this former church that’s now a pub. A woman in her thirties with a grey shawl and grey dress is sometimes seen peering through the windows.

h3. 6. The Easy Bar

The Easy Bar next to Churchill Square is said to have a tall phantom man in the corner of the bar who sits and waits, maybe to be served? While you’re there, look out for Black Belly who has been known to walk near The Churchill Centre. A large bald man, with a shirt that exposes his fat, bruised belly. Sounds normal? Well, he’s also hovering a few centimetres off the ground.

h3. 7. The Bath Arms

Situated in the South Laines, The Bath Arms is said to have two ghosts. The most sighted being a middle aged Victorian man who props himself against one of the pillars in the bar, the other wears a tricorn hat.

h3. 8. The Mash Tum

The Mash Tum next to the Dome Theatre is said to be haunted by an old landlady, who ran the pub during the First World War. Her footsteps have been heard and she has been known to throw clothes down the stairs by former landlords.

So, this Halloween, why not go on a ghost tour of your own? Be warned though, with all that ‘spirit’ chasing around Brighton’s haunted pubs that the following morning….You’ll be your own version of the living dead.